TNT guard Jayson Castro was diagnosed with a full thickness patellar tendon tear and will be out for the rest of the season according to team manager Jojo Lastimosa.

The veteran point guard went down, grimacing in pain after he appeared to have awkwardly twisted his right knee while driving hard to the basket in the final quarter of the Tropang Giga’s 93-91 Game 2 victory over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters at the PhilSports Arena.

Castro had to be helped off the court and was later stretchered out of the venue and brought to the hospital.

Even after the game, TNT head coach Chot Reyes expressed his concerns not only on the future of his battle-scarred playmaker but also to his overall well-being.

“Noong tinignan ko yung replay, very concerning, not only for this series, but for Jayson’s well-being long term, his physical fitness, his health. The only thing we can do now is hope and pray,” said Reyes.

He is expected to miss 10 to 12 months of action but what is more concerning is that the serious injury also casted doubts on the future of Castro’s career considering that he is already 38 years old.

Before the injury, Castro remained a focal point of the Tropang Giga offense, even outplaying his younger counterparts with averages of 18.5 points, 4.0 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals in 22 minutes of play through two semifinal games.

Without the veteran guard, much of the load now falls on the shoulders of Calvin Oftana, RR Pogoy and Rey Nambatac along with import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson.